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Microsoft Users: ‘Nothing Could Be Worse Than Clippy.’ Microsoft: ‘Challenge Accepted.’
Microsoft has integrated a feature into its (pretty much) mandatory software that highlights “problematic” language and suggests woke politically correct alternatives.
In its latest version of Office 365, a purple line appears under written copy that the software deems might “imply bias”, with alternatives offered.
Among the things the feature looks for are age bias, cultural bias, gender specific language, sexual orientation bias and socioeconomic status.
Even though the source describes this as a “new feature,” a quick DuckDuckGo search finds that our Corporate Masters at Microsoft have been pushing out this feature since at least 2019.
Remember way back in the 1990s. when people thought bundling Internet Explorer with Windows was Big Tech Going Too Far?
And I guess the Bush-Republican response is, “Hey, corporations should be allowed to do whatever they want. If you don’t like it, start your own multinational office technology monopoly.”
Published in Technology
I’m surprised you’re this thin-skinned about the comment, Gary. All the issues brought up and you seized on this as the most relevant for comment. I wouldn’t mind hearing your take on the keystroke surveillance and stifling of open discussion.
Otherwise, it seems conflict is the point of participation. How about suggesting the referenced group would have a different reaction? I mean, that’s the meat of the critical comment, not the label.
It’s just my take, but if politics has taught us anything in the era since the Contract with America, it has to be that accusation is the clearest window to intent or even misdeeds already perpetrated. Decades of accusation of racism resulted in a new segregation and race-based preferences backed by government. The accusers revealed themselves as the racists.
Likewise, accusations of unwillingness to coalesce for some greater political purpose, well, seems we have seen that happen, too. On this side of things, we’re still disappointed and not anxious to rebuild bridges we didn’t burn. That, generally speaking, is the responsibility of the people who torched them.
I will take this back upon somebody showing me other analysis.
This is simply the actual politics behind what many people believe about how society should be organized. Corporatist Republicans or Republicans that have a shallow analysis of how the constitution integrates with the direction of society.
Maybe you have to do it because we push so many things around with government, but it gets messy when you move off of a straight policy discussion into other areas.
Gary you need to spend more time thinking about what is wrong with certain policies and what is right about some policies, particularly some of the new thinking on the right.
Gary wants to have his cake and eat it too.
It could be a helpful feature for people who have to sweat a woke work environment. Personally, I’d look for somewhere else to work, but some people don’t have that as an option.
What Microsoft fails to understand is that out in the wider world there exists a devious, mischievous sort of person (such as yours truly) who look upon problematic language highlighting as a challenge to be met, not a problem to be eliminated.
Can you rid your writing of the lowly lesser red, and green, and blue underlines and leave nothing behind but glorious, imperial purple prose? What is more, can you cultivate non-inclusive language in your writing like the vintner cultivates vines in his vineyard? Picture it in your mind: a clean white page broken up by neat purple row after neat purple row as a far as the scroll-wheel can scroll. Beautiful.
I humbly accept your challenge, Microsoft.
How many people use Office 365 for personal use? On my home computers I still use my old copy of Office 2003, and if I didn’t have that I’d be using LibreOffice, Google Docs, or Apple iWork. The only place I use Office 365 is at my actual job.
Since (I suspect) the market for Office 365 is primarily corporate buyers, I wager that Microsoft consulted with their corporate customers before making this change. In fact, it might even be their corporate customers that requested the change.
It seems we think we can separate private sector from public sector even when the giant falling cost digital companies move toward controlling everything and are joined by giant regular corporations who think they can remain in charge. The top always narrows until it rots. Is there a country, not taken over by some other country, that has not collapsed as it rotted from the top? Can an economy as complex and technical as the US avoid the historical pattern? No, the narrow technical types that run these corporations are even more narrow and ignorant than historically observable. Of course we may not have an opportunity to see the process as the Chinese may move against us in some way during the rot and confusion that occurs when still controlled by politicians who don’t understand what is going on.
So Grammer Check and Spell Check are not enough. They now have to have a Political Correctness Check. Can you turn it off like you can grammar and spell check? (while keeping the former two.
It really should highlight Microsoft. Because that word offends me.
The IT Department of the organization I work at went from conservative-libertarian to full on SJW COVID cowards in the last 5 years. No change in personnel. Just a dramatic 180. They all got big raises too. It pays to be considered the pandemic heroes.
https://www.openoffice.org
No!
See Comment #17.
I didn’t know. That’s too bad. I did check the site to see that the last update was recent.
There are so many ways Microsoft tries my patience daily. I am forced to use it. My biggest gripe until now is how anybody anywhere can add to my calendar. It keeps re-enabling. I have abandoned it and am trying to keep appointments in my head. It’s much like how we all rely on a GPS and can no longer find our way without it anymore.
Try a white board.
I use a 3×5 card in my shirt pocket.
Probably works just as well. But I’d tend to forget about the card. When it’s on the wall, it’s harder to ignore.
You have a wall?
Small business. I have an office with a door and everything.
SOLUTION: Stop using Micro$oft crap.